Social networking websites on the internet have proliferated greatly from approximately 2002 until 2009. The goal of any social networking site is to facilitate the social networking of human beings by actively identifying and connecting those users together through a commonality of experiences and interests. Friends, acquaintances, co-workers, and family members who utilize a social networking website experience increased social interaction through the features and services offered on a particular social networking website. Such services include, message boards, moderated forums, picture and photo boards, the interactive commenting of topics posted to such message boards and forums, publication of select biographic information, finding of potential friends, chatting, and e-mail notifications of posted communications. In the background of these typical services, sophisticated computer algorithms constantly check for potential intersections of interests and desires, and notify users of such intersections when advantageous to increase social interaction.
From offering superior features utilized in such services, a select few social networking websites have attracted the majority of the internet users who frequent social networking sites. Specifically, as of this filing, Myspace™, Linkedin®, and Facebook have attracted the majority of social networking users. The users utilizing these vendors number in the tens of millions.
Social networking sites generate revenue from targeted advertising. Utilizing an array of biographical profile information that is captured for each social networking user, advertisers are able to present products and services to users that are relevant to each user's needs and desires. Each user typically provides a wealth of biographical information to a social networking site with which they register, and such information is constantly updated and incremented with additional visits to the site. Advertisers can then leverage from that information and tailor the content of their advertising to best fit each user. Advertisers are eager to advertise on social networking sites so that they may realize a more efficient return on their advertising investment. Therefore, the unique environment of a social networking site allows advertisers to precisely target potential consumers based upon the commonality of needs of a site's participants.
Users of social networking sites typically upon signing up for a social networking website service provide a photo or other usual indicia representing their persona. In many instances, a person will not utilize a true visual representation of their likeness, but will instead select a predefined “avatar” that may be supplied by the social networking site. In some instances, a user can supply their own avatar by uploading it. An avatar is a graphical image that represents a user on a social networking site which typically projects a desired characteristic of that individual, depending upon the projection wishes of the user. Such an avatar may be a static image, or an animated image. Avatars typically will be presented adjacent to postings and other types of communications deposited on a social networking site by the user, such as for example a message board. This avatar association provides a mechanism for viewers to quickly identify the source of a particular posted communication, and/or make replies thereto.
However, while the targeting of users traversing social networking sites with advertisements has become commonplace, the association of a particular user's avatar with indicia of a particular goods manufacturer or service provider has not yet occurred. The ability to cross link or “tether” an indicia of a company with a social networking site user could result in an additional proliferation of recognition of that company's indicia, such as the company's trademarks or service marks, through additional presentation “impressions.” Such tethering has the potential to rapidly create additional goodwill for the manufacturer or service provider seeking to expand their company's recognition within the genre of users frequenting social networking sites.
Therefore, what is needed is a system and method for associating a selected indicia of a company with the avatar of a social networking site user such that a linking or tethering of the two can be achieved across one or more social network sites.